Average Speed Camera Usage On UK Roads Has DOUBLED In Three Years

The length of British roads that are monitored by average speed cameras has doubled in just three years.

Cameras now watch 256 miles of roads in the UK - up from 127 in 2013, according to research conducted by the RAC.

At least 50 stretches of roads are no permanently managed by the cameras, which measure the average speed of cars over sections that range from as little as a quarter of a mile to 99 miles.

Scotland has seen the biggest rise in the cameras, with the longest stretch in the country running on the A9 from Dunblane to Inverness.

England’s longest stretch runs on the A614 Old Rufford Road, near Ollerton in Nottinghamshire.

Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, said that the cameras were less about raising money from speeding drivers and more about keeping the roads safe.

Support: The RAC believes average speed cameras are more about safety than raising money (Rex)

He said: “Rightly or wrongly many motorists perceive the current ‘spot’ speed cameras to be more about raising revenue for the Treasury than saving lives, but average speed cameras have greater potential to bring drivers on side.

"Clearly a high compliance rate means a very low penalty rate and hence both road safety and drivers wallets could benefit from greater use of these systems in appropriate places.”

However, highlighting their potential drawbacks, Edmund King, AA president, said: “Generally average speed cameras work fairly well in road works on motorways to slow traffic down when there are narrower lanes and people working.

“However, in some of the permanent locations where there is no obvious reason for their use they do lead to tailgating which in itself can be more dangerous than speeding.”

He added: “To maintain their effectiveness average speed cameras should only be used on a limited basis where there is a clear and defined need for them.”

Top pic: Rex